Post by wagnersteve on Dec 30, 2023 10:02:37 GMT -8
12/30/23, starting at 10:52 a.m., EST, subject to interruptions for family responsibilities
For whatever it may be worth to others on this forum, I'm back.
Again, the firm has done a good job of describing the prototype locos and the models, including what it calls their eras. The short prerecorded videos are easily available on YouTube and the descriptions have links to the PDF sheets.
The Genesis run is of EMD GP7R (a designation used by some railroads for rebuilt GP7s) and GP18 diesel locos (first built new in late 19), with details as usual varying according to the individual locos. The PDF sheet says each unit with Tsunami2 sound and DCC pre-installed lists for $319.99 and each one without sound for $219.99 "subject to Horizon's MAP policy"; Jim Wiggin said on the video, perhaps mistakenly, that the prices are MSRPs and modelers should check with their dealers. Orders are stated as due 1/26/24 with ETA given as May 2025.
Chicago & North Western ordered six GP18s from EMD in 1960. Unlike all others built, they had four 36" radiator fans instead of two 48" ones. Each of the three models will have a "late" walkway with inspection holds, a large 2350 gal. fuel tank, a rooftop winterization hatch, "early" pilots with footboards, air tanks mounted on the side of the train, two "Blatt" horns (one just ahead of the cab on the high short hood, evidently the front, the to her facing the other way aft of the second radiator fan). None will have dynamic brake details. In chronological order, the 1777 will have the "early" yellow and green livery with the red, white & black herald on the cab sides, everything from the side sills down in black, with the road number ahead of the cab and near the other end of the long hood, with a large V-shaped green stripe on its ends (era 1960s+). The 1775, shown as the same "era", will have the later simplified scheme without end stripes and with the number centered on the long hood sides. The 1776 will wear the unique red, white and blue Bicentennial scheme from the mid-1970s.
Central California Traction, a former electric interurban line, bought two ex-Rock Island GP18s in the early 1980s and painted them as its 1790 and 1795 in a handsome bright red livery with white herringbone stripes on their ends and parallelogram-shaped strips along their side sills. They will not have dynamic brake detail: The long hood roof has two fans and roof access hatches. A Nathan P5 horn is atop the high short hood, evidently normally the front. Front and rear gyralights work on the DCC version. There is partial skirting above the 1700 gal. fuel tank. "Wheel bearings per prototype", era 1981+, but the real locos were sold to private owners by the 2010s.
Midsouth Rail Cope, which started in 1986, based in Jackson, Mississippi,, bought 373 miles of ICG track and four ex-IC GP18s. Athearn is modeling the only one with a high short hood, the 1804. It has the same roof detail and fuel tank as the CCT units, but the horn atop its short hood, very obviously the front, has a Nathan P3 horn with all of its bells facing forward, after of a bell atop the hood's end. Nearly the whole body is gray except for green horizontal stripe that with gray above and below it that covers the middle part of Midsouth in tall sans serif capitals on the long hood sides. "Era 1989+" but the loco was retired and stored by the mid-2000s.
Conrail 7496 and 7499 are ex-Lehigh Valley GP18s painted in DR's u seal blue and white livery with black lower parts, "era 1980+". Each has dynamic brake detail, a winterization hatch, a Nathan K3 horn atop the cab facing end of the high short hood, marked as the front, a 1300 fuel tank, black like all parts below the side sill.
New England Southern GP18 503 is a gorgeous unit I saw myself in either Nashua or Concord, New Hampshire or both cities, which in 1981 took over former B&M freight operations in that area. The locos was the Rock Island's 1341. Except for black underparts, it's mostly medium green with fairly wide horizontal yellow band on both hoods' sides. New England in condensed sans serif caps is above that and in front of a red map of the New England states that interrupts the band, Southern in similar lettered is to the right; a yellow number is on the cab sides. A big oval red and white herald is on one end. The "era" is 1985-early 200s; the loco was sold in 2007 to the New Hampshire Northcoast Railroad, where it works today as its 1801. The info on Athearn's announcement is from local experts Rick Khoury, who has written a book about railroading in Manchester, NH.
Ferrocaril Sonoro Baja California GP 18 2306 wears a mostly orange livery with white lettering and black stripes and lower parts. It has dynamic brakes, a Leslie 3-chime horn atop the cab facing the high short hood, marked as the front, plus a 1700 gal. fuel tank. "Era 1980s+", but the SBC became part of the Nationales de Mexico in 1987.
Norfolk & Western GP18's wear a dark blue scheme with the "hamburger" or "half moon" herald in yellow on their ends and cab sides above the number; the name is fully spelled out in yellow sans serif capitals on the end of the long hood closest to the ends. Each has a 1700 gal fuel tank and pilots with footboards. The 945 and 949, among 45 units the N&W bought new starting in late 1969, are set up to operate long hood forward, with 5-chime Leslie horns atop their cabs, and have dynamic brake detail, exhaust spark arrestors, and the left side skirt ing modified by the N&W with access doors. The 2704 is an ex-Nickel Plate Road unit without dynamics, with a bell atop its high short hood (the front), with a front gyralight (working on the DCC version), exhaust deflectors and the cab windows on the right (engineer's) side winterized.
Southern GP18s wearing that railroad's handsome "tuxedo" livery (black except for an imitation aluminum band surrounding the whole loco just above the walkway, with road name in gold or imitation gold sans serif capitals on the long hood's sides and similar cab numbers) are former Central of Georgia and Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia units, each without dynamic brakes, set up to operate short hood forward, with a 1300 gal. fuel tank. Number 175 (era early 1970s+) has its original road name. Number 171 (era mid-1970s) is similar, but with Southern road name on the long hood and small C of G on the cab. Each of those two has footboards on both pilots, and Nathan Pt5 horn atop the short hood and a bell on the long hood behind the cab. Number 179 (era late 1970s+) has a bell atop its high short hood ahead of a Nathan P2 horn with all bells facing the end; a similar horn is at the end of the long hood; a small TA&G is on the cab sides.
The Rock Island rebuilt many of its GP7 locos during the late 1970s and called them GP7Rs. Models of locos 4506, 4523 and 4540 all wear the "era 1980s+" The Rock livery, with the cab and long hood light blue, the high short hood (except for the light blue vertical center of its end) white, along with the pillows, steps and side sills white, THE ROCK in stylized white caps on the. long hood sides near the cabs, a huge logo with a black stylized rock around a white hexagon with points at its top and bottom, with smaller versions of that on the center of the ends, and black numbers on the cabs and all parts below the side sills. Each does not have dynamic brake detail but has roof access hatches between the four fans, Nathan P-5 horns after of the forward two fans, a "firecracker" antenna on its cab roof, early Pyle headlights and early "pipe" style handrails. The 4506 has late small Lou ver battery box doors, standard. EMD fuel tank, and an optional whip antenna for the current version in an operate poly. bag. The 4523 has the same battery box doors but a rebuilt Rock Island style fuel t ank. The 4540 has that style tank but the early large louver battery box doors.
I'd now 1:02 p.m. and I need to do other things before reporting on the remaining loco announcement.
For whatever it may be worth to others on this forum, I'm back.
Again, the firm has done a good job of describing the prototype locos and the models, including what it calls their eras. The short prerecorded videos are easily available on YouTube and the descriptions have links to the PDF sheets.
The Genesis run is of EMD GP7R (a designation used by some railroads for rebuilt GP7s) and GP18 diesel locos (first built new in late 19), with details as usual varying according to the individual locos. The PDF sheet says each unit with Tsunami2 sound and DCC pre-installed lists for $319.99 and each one without sound for $219.99 "subject to Horizon's MAP policy"; Jim Wiggin said on the video, perhaps mistakenly, that the prices are MSRPs and modelers should check with their dealers. Orders are stated as due 1/26/24 with ETA given as May 2025.
Chicago & North Western ordered six GP18s from EMD in 1960. Unlike all others built, they had four 36" radiator fans instead of two 48" ones. Each of the three models will have a "late" walkway with inspection holds, a large 2350 gal. fuel tank, a rooftop winterization hatch, "early" pilots with footboards, air tanks mounted on the side of the train, two "Blatt" horns (one just ahead of the cab on the high short hood, evidently the front, the to her facing the other way aft of the second radiator fan). None will have dynamic brake details. In chronological order, the 1777 will have the "early" yellow and green livery with the red, white & black herald on the cab sides, everything from the side sills down in black, with the road number ahead of the cab and near the other end of the long hood, with a large V-shaped green stripe on its ends (era 1960s+). The 1775, shown as the same "era", will have the later simplified scheme without end stripes and with the number centered on the long hood sides. The 1776 will wear the unique red, white and blue Bicentennial scheme from the mid-1970s.
Central California Traction, a former electric interurban line, bought two ex-Rock Island GP18s in the early 1980s and painted them as its 1790 and 1795 in a handsome bright red livery with white herringbone stripes on their ends and parallelogram-shaped strips along their side sills. They will not have dynamic brake detail: The long hood roof has two fans and roof access hatches. A Nathan P5 horn is atop the high short hood, evidently normally the front. Front and rear gyralights work on the DCC version. There is partial skirting above the 1700 gal. fuel tank. "Wheel bearings per prototype", era 1981+, but the real locos were sold to private owners by the 2010s.
Midsouth Rail Cope, which started in 1986, based in Jackson, Mississippi,, bought 373 miles of ICG track and four ex-IC GP18s. Athearn is modeling the only one with a high short hood, the 1804. It has the same roof detail and fuel tank as the CCT units, but the horn atop its short hood, very obviously the front, has a Nathan P3 horn with all of its bells facing forward, after of a bell atop the hood's end. Nearly the whole body is gray except for green horizontal stripe that with gray above and below it that covers the middle part of Midsouth in tall sans serif capitals on the long hood sides. "Era 1989+" but the loco was retired and stored by the mid-2000s.
Conrail 7496 and 7499 are ex-Lehigh Valley GP18s painted in DR's u seal blue and white livery with black lower parts, "era 1980+". Each has dynamic brake detail, a winterization hatch, a Nathan K3 horn atop the cab facing end of the high short hood, marked as the front, a 1300 fuel tank, black like all parts below the side sill.
New England Southern GP18 503 is a gorgeous unit I saw myself in either Nashua or Concord, New Hampshire or both cities, which in 1981 took over former B&M freight operations in that area. The locos was the Rock Island's 1341. Except for black underparts, it's mostly medium green with fairly wide horizontal yellow band on both hoods' sides. New England in condensed sans serif caps is above that and in front of a red map of the New England states that interrupts the band, Southern in similar lettered is to the right; a yellow number is on the cab sides. A big oval red and white herald is on one end. The "era" is 1985-early 200s; the loco was sold in 2007 to the New Hampshire Northcoast Railroad, where it works today as its 1801. The info on Athearn's announcement is from local experts Rick Khoury, who has written a book about railroading in Manchester, NH.
Ferrocaril Sonoro Baja California GP 18 2306 wears a mostly orange livery with white lettering and black stripes and lower parts. It has dynamic brakes, a Leslie 3-chime horn atop the cab facing the high short hood, marked as the front, plus a 1700 gal. fuel tank. "Era 1980s+", but the SBC became part of the Nationales de Mexico in 1987.
Norfolk & Western GP18's wear a dark blue scheme with the "hamburger" or "half moon" herald in yellow on their ends and cab sides above the number; the name is fully spelled out in yellow sans serif capitals on the end of the long hood closest to the ends. Each has a 1700 gal fuel tank and pilots with footboards. The 945 and 949, among 45 units the N&W bought new starting in late 1969, are set up to operate long hood forward, with 5-chime Leslie horns atop their cabs, and have dynamic brake detail, exhaust spark arrestors, and the left side skirt ing modified by the N&W with access doors. The 2704 is an ex-Nickel Plate Road unit without dynamics, with a bell atop its high short hood (the front), with a front gyralight (working on the DCC version), exhaust deflectors and the cab windows on the right (engineer's) side winterized.
Southern GP18s wearing that railroad's handsome "tuxedo" livery (black except for an imitation aluminum band surrounding the whole loco just above the walkway, with road name in gold or imitation gold sans serif capitals on the long hood's sides and similar cab numbers) are former Central of Georgia and Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia units, each without dynamic brakes, set up to operate short hood forward, with a 1300 gal. fuel tank. Number 175 (era early 1970s+) has its original road name. Number 171 (era mid-1970s) is similar, but with Southern road name on the long hood and small C of G on the cab. Each of those two has footboards on both pilots, and Nathan Pt5 horn atop the short hood and a bell on the long hood behind the cab. Number 179 (era late 1970s+) has a bell atop its high short hood ahead of a Nathan P2 horn with all bells facing the end; a similar horn is at the end of the long hood; a small TA&G is on the cab sides.
The Rock Island rebuilt many of its GP7 locos during the late 1970s and called them GP7Rs. Models of locos 4506, 4523 and 4540 all wear the "era 1980s+" The Rock livery, with the cab and long hood light blue, the high short hood (except for the light blue vertical center of its end) white, along with the pillows, steps and side sills white, THE ROCK in stylized white caps on the. long hood sides near the cabs, a huge logo with a black stylized rock around a white hexagon with points at its top and bottom, with smaller versions of that on the center of the ends, and black numbers on the cabs and all parts below the side sills. Each does not have dynamic brake detail but has roof access hatches between the four fans, Nathan P-5 horns after of the forward two fans, a "firecracker" antenna on its cab roof, early Pyle headlights and early "pipe" style handrails. The 4506 has late small Lou ver battery box doors, standard. EMD fuel tank, and an optional whip antenna for the current version in an operate poly. bag. The 4523 has the same battery box doors but a rebuilt Rock Island style fuel t ank. The 4540 has that style tank but the early large louver battery box doors.
I'd now 1:02 p.m. and I need to do other things before reporting on the remaining loco announcement.
